Spitfire Week
by kittiekat10105
Summary: My contribution for Spitfire week. Six events that brought Wally and Artemis closer together, and one that happened elsewhere.
1. None

**Greetings fellow Spitfire fans! I was really glad for the prompts given for this week, because I've really been meaning to write some YJ stuff. **

**Disclaimer: (insert clever one-liner here)**

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><p><strong><span>Day One: Secret<span>**

**None**

"You wanna talk about it?"

Artemis sighed. She wasn't at all surprised that her speedster boyfriend was the one to come and find her. One of the many things she loved about him was his uncanny ability to know exactly when he really needed her, even when she didn't know it herself. Another thing was how he could prompt her without prying (of course, this also doubled as irritating).

"You wanna talk about it?" Not, "What happened back there?" or "Are you involved with the League of Shadows?" No. Just; "You wanna talk about it."

She didn't want to talk about it, or at least that's what she told herself. If she'd wanted to talk about it, she would have. Instead she came here, to a small cliff on Mount Justice. With the trees and the gorgeous view of the ocean, it was the perfect place to think. This little spot always managed to calm her.

"Arty?"

She turned around this time. The speedster had evidently taken the three seconds necessary to change into his civvies, unlike Artemis who was still wearing her uniform. Her mask was pulled back and resting on the back of her neck.

"I'm fine, Wally," she lied. She wasn't fine. Not by a long shot.

"You're not fine," he asserted, walking closer to where she stood.

Of course she wasn't fine. The girl had just been confronted by her supervillain father on a mission, right in front of her teammates. Of course, he didn't know about the 'father' detail. The only person on the team who knew about that was Kaldur, and that's because Sportsmaster had told him there was a mole on the team. He eventually figured out it was Artemis, and the JLA had had no choice but to give him full disclosure on the situation. She was indeed a double agent. But for the JLA.

Everything had been fine after that, until they had run into Sportsmaster on a mission and he had not-so-subtly implied that she was a spy for the League of Shadows.

"Artemis, I know you. And I know there's a lot you're not telling me." He placed his hands on her shoulders, his green eyes boring into her blue ones.

Artemis' eyes narrowed threateningly. "If you're gonna ask me if I'm a spy, then go right ahead."

Wally's eyes widened slightly at her accusation, but then he shook it off.

"I don't have to ask, Artemis. I already know that you're not," he assured her. She quickly looked away, but he gently grabbed her chin with his thumb, middle and forefingers, forcing her to face him. What he saw next was the last thing he had expected.

She was crying.

Her face was firm and dignified, her mouth set in a straight line and her eyebrows scrunched down in a glare, but he could still see the tears pooling in her eyes threatening to spill over. He had only seen Artemis cry once before after a seriously close call with her mom, and he hated to see her like that.

Noticing his sympathetic look, she wrenched herself out of his grip.

"Quit looking at me like that!" she yelled. "I don't need your pity!"

Wally groaned inwardly. Once she got like this, there was no telling what she would do.

"Arty-" he began. He reached toward her, but she jerked away.

"Don't you Arty me!" she snapped, her voice raising with every word. "Fine, if you want to know so badly, here it is! Wanna know how I'm connected to the Shadows?"

Wally opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

"Sportsmaster is my FATHER!" she screamed. The tears that had pooled in her eyes earlier were now spilling down her cheeks. "And you know what else? My mother's accident wasn't an accident! He did that to her when I refused to kill someone!" She tried to hide a small sob.

"Artemis-"

"So now if I don't pass on information about Young Justice and the JLA to the League of Shadows, he'll kill her! No, he won't just kill her! He'll make me watch as he tortures her first!"

Wally wasn't even sure if Artemis even knew that she was speaking to anyone anymore. She seemed completely oblivious to his presence, ranting to herself. It wasn't like he could've come up with a coherent response anyway. He was pretty much stunned where he stood.

"So now if he ever finds out that I'm really giving information about the Shadows to the JLA, there's no telling what he'll do to my mom...or to me..."

She stood in the middle of the clearing, arms folded protectively over her chest, gaze towards the grass.

Wally tentatively approached her, moving so that he was directly in front of her. Artemis found herself experiencing the same fear she had had not a few minutes ago. Would he hate her after this? Would he try to get her kicked off the team? Would he-

Her thoughts were interrupted when a pair of strong arms suddenly surrounded her, one hand cupping the back of her head and the arm wrapped around her waist.

"Geez Arty," he whispered. "You've been carrying that around all this time?"

For a moment, she forgot about looking weak. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head into his neck, letting him stroke her hair and calm her sobs. Artemis said something that he couldn't hear at first.

He pulled back slightly to look at her face.

"What?" he asked. She refused to meet his eyes.

"So you don't hate me?" she repeated.

The ginger's eyebrows rose dramatically as he tried to find the right words.

"Artemis...I could...I could never hate you," he stammered. "In fact I-I um...well..."

Artemis felt a smirk growing on her face as she watched him struggle. Satisfied for now, she pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Come on. Let's get back to the cave," she said, grabbing his hand. He smiled back and they began to walk at a slow, easy pace.

"Well that went well," she muttered, plopping down on the couch. She had just finished explaining to the team what had happened with Sportsmaster, her connection to him, and her double agent mission for the JLA, with Wally holding her hand through the entire thing.

Not surprisingly, M'gann had been the first to respond. Much like Wally had earlier that evening, the Martian launched herself at Artemis and nearly hugged the air right out of the blonde archer.

Conner didn't respond dramatically, but his slight nod and the slight glint of empathy told her that he understood.

Kaldur revealed that he had known for some time, and that set Robin off.

He wasn't mad at Artemis, mind you. But he was furious with Batman. After the team had left to go back to their rooms, Robin had gone back to Gotham city...to tell off his mentor.

That was what concerned Artemis.

Wally chuckled, and put his arm around her.

"Don't worry about them," he said cheerfully. "Their fights never last too long. Robin practically worships the ground Batman walks on, and Batman's wrapped around Robin's little finger."

Artemis smiled.

"Aren't we all?" she asked. It was a serious question. How the tiny boy managed to be so formidable an opponent and be so freaking adorable at the same time, she would never know.

"Yeah, pretty much." Then his face turned serious. "They only fight so much because they keep so much from each other."

He gave her a pointed look, and Artemis responded to this by kissing him, to which he instantly complied.

It was a silent agreement.

No more secrets.

None.

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><p><strong>So there it is! Hop you review! Constructive criticism is appreciated! You know what? I sound really perky in text...which is weird because I am NOT perky in real life. Fascinating...<strong>


	2. Scholarship

**Yup, here's my next submission! Oh my god, no matter what I do I sound perky! I guess you'll have to catch my sarcasm when you read my writing. (sweatdrop)**

**Disclaimer: Not that i don't love the show as it is, but if I owned _Young Justice_, I would use Tim Drake, Bart Allen, and Cassie Sandsmark in the show. Also, there would be no hiatus.**

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><p><strong>Day Two: AU<strong>

**Scholarship**

****Artemis Crock groaned as she entered the cafeteria - excuse me, the "Dining Pavilion"-at Gotham Academy. She didn't really understand the fancy name. It looked like a cafeteria. Apparently the snooty rich kids of Gotham City were too good for a mere "cafeteria". Even if it was one.

Looking around the "dining pavilion", she saw plenty of open spots. But sitting in them didn't seem like an option. Most of these kids stuck up their noses at the very mention of the word "scholarship". Which meant she'd probably end up eating her lunch in the bathroom.

She pulled her skirt down a little more, still uncomfortable with the uniform. Why they forced the girls into these god-awful skirts, she'd never know.

"Let me guess," a male voice said behind her. "Scholarship kid?"

Artemis turned around to see a boy about her age, with red hair, green eyes, and freckles dusting over his nose and cheeks. He wore the stupid uniform that the boys were forced to wear. Gray slacks, and a navy blue blazer.

"How could you tell?" she asked dryly. The Ginger Boy grinned.

"Well for one thing, you're carrying a sack lunch," he said, pointing out the brown paper back she held in her hands. Well it wasn't like she could afford the buy the lunches here.

"And scholarship kids always look like a six-year-old locked in a candy store," he chuckled. "Or in your case, like it's the last place in the world they want to be."

Artemis smiled. Maybe he was worth talking to.

"What's your name?" she asked.

Ginger Boy grinned. "You can call me whatever you like, Beautiful," he said flirtatiously. "As long as you call me."

Artemis rolled her eyes at his attempt at a pick-up.

"Alright, Ginger Boy. If that's the way you want it."

She grinned triumphantly at the sudden look of horror gracing his features. It was kind of cute.

"Oooooon second thought," he corrected quickly, extending a hand. "Call me Wally. Wally West"  
>She raised an eyebrow as she shook the offered hand. "Wally?"<p>

He rolled his eyes. "Oh trust me it could've been worse. My dad wanted to name me Rudolf."

She laughed, and he grinned.

"Wanna sit with your fellow scholarship kids?" he asked her. "Well, fellow scholarship kids, and the one decent rich kid in the school."

"Sure, I'd like that."

"What's your name?" he said, leading her towards a back table.

"Crock. Artemis Crock."

"I think I'll just call you Arty."  
><strong><br>**"Not if you want to keep your vocal chords."

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><p><strong>That was MUCH shorter than the last one, but it's better short than drawn out. Thanks for all your reviews and alerts on the last chapter! I posted it on DA, and I've already gotten seven faves! I'm really happy about that.<strong>


	3. Robin's Girl Advice

**Now THIS one was fun to write! I've been working on this since Thursday!**

**Disclaimer: Really? Really? Do I LOOK like I own YJ? **

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><p><strong>Day Three: Crush<strong>

**Robin's Girl Advice**

"YOU WENT TO KALDUR?"

The speedster's voice echoed through the cave, causing Artemis to miss her target, Superboy to accidentally crush another trash can, Kaldur to up the microwave, and poor M'gann's souffle to drop. Robin, meanwhile, was sitting on his bed testing his own hacking skills. He heard Wally all the way from his room, but he wasn't really surprised. He was going to find out eventually.

Wally stomped through the doorway, letting the door slide shut behind him. Was it just him, or did the door just slam?

"There's a new invention, Wall-man. It's called knocking," he said dryly, never taking his eyes off of his glove computer. The young hacker was so close to breaking the last few firewalls of the JLA's main database, and he wasn't about to let his easily offended best friend prevent him from achieving his goal.

Wally ignored the joke, instead choosing to continue his rant.

"Dude! Remember me? Best friend? The world's most famous ginger?"

"You're not Ron Weasley."

"What-Oh you know what I mean!"

Robin sighed and continued working on his hack.

"Just tell me what you want, Wally," he said, glancing up at his friend. Robin could've sworn he saw his friend's eye twitch. He was seriously pissed off about this.

"What I want is an explanation! Why did my so-called BEST FRIEND not come to ME for advice about a GIRL?" Wally cried, waving his arms about wildly and pacing back and forth. The ginger did this so often Robin half expected there to be no more carpet in that particular area. He just sighed, and pressed more keys on the glove.

"And you want to know I went to Kaldur instead," the tiny bird finished.

"Well DUH!"

Robin allowed for a moment of silence to gather his thoughts and for Wally to calm down. He watched as the speedster's anger faded, being replaced by hurt and slight betrayal. Now Robin felt bad.

"I'm supposed to be your go-to guy, Rob," he said softly. "You always say I'm like a big brother to you, so I thought..."

Robin considered this for a moment, and shut off his screen. Some things were more important than proving a computer wasn't unhackable. Like assuring his best friend that he was still his best friend.

"You want to know why I went to Kaldur and not you?" he asked.

"Yeah. I mean...did I do something? Make you mad? What?" the speedster asked, running his fingers through his hair. Robin shook his head.

"No, nothing like that," he assured.

"Then what?"

The little bird sighed. This wasn't going to be easy...

"I...didn't think you'd know what to do," he explained. Seeing the redhead's mouth drop open in offended shock, Robin quickly explained. "I mean...yeah, you flirt a lot, but when you actually like a girl you have no idea what you're doing."

That didn't help.

"What? Come on, Rob! I'm this close to getting M'gann!" He held up his thumb and pointer finger a fraction of a centimeter apart. Robin just rolled his eyes.

"I'm not talking about her, and you know it."

"Black Canary? I mean, come on man, she's hot but Green Arrow would-"

"Wally!" Robin exclaimed standing up. "We both know who I'm talking about, and it's not M'gann or BC, any of your stalkers-"

"Fangirls," Wally corrected.

"-stalkers or some random pretty girl at your school who you claim smiled at you!"

"She totally did, man!"

"Whatever." The thirteen-year-old crossed his arms in a way that reminded Wally disturbingly of Batman. "I'm talking about Artemis."

Wally stared at the boy for a moment, his green eyes boring into Robin's skull. Robin stared right back, daring him to deny it. Of course, as the meme said, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

"Are you CRAZY?" Wally cried out suddenly. "ARTEMIS? Where in the heck did you get the idea that I have ANY feelings for her? She's obnoxious, rude, insulting, vicious..."

Robin zoned out for most of this. Wally had a whole list of adjectives used specifically to describe Artemis. Sometimes Robin wondered if his friend even knew what half of the words meant.

"...cruel, sadistic, spiteful, demonic-"

Finally, Robin had enough.

"See? This is exactly what I mean," he complained. "It's completely obvious you like her, but you're so scared that you pretend to hate her!"

Wally stared at him incredulously. "I am NOT scared!"

"Yes you are!"

"Why on EARTH would I be scared of Artemis? Well, besides the obvious, I mean."

Robin threw his arms in the air.

"Because you like her!" he cried. "I've known you for three years Wally, and if I know anything about you it's that you're a flirt, but you have no idea what you're doing when it comes to actually liking a girl. You've never liked a girl the way you like Artemis, and it terrifies you! So what do you do? You go around trying to convince yourself that you hate her! Well newsflash, Wally! It didn't convince the rest of us!"

When Kid Flash didn't say anything, Robin knew he had hit the nail on the head.

"Want to know what Kaldur told me?" he asked softly. Wally shrugged, which Robin took as an affirmative. "He said that even though I was afraid she didn't like me back, I should still go for it. Because what if she did, and I never took the risk? I would be missing out on something pretty freaking awesome."

Wally took a moment for the words to sink in. Robin was right, of course. There was no denying that. And it did seem like Kaldur knew what he was talking about. He noticed Robin's slight grin. Wait a minute...did he look...dreamy?

"I'd like to stay and chat more," Robin said, grabbing his backpack. "But I've gotta change and get back home. I promised Babs I'd meet her at the movies at 7:00, and she'll kill me if I'm late."

Wally snapped out of his fog and stared at Robin.

"Wait a minute...Babs Gordon?" he asked incredulously.

Robin grinned. "Yup."

"The commissioner's daughter?"

"Uh-huh."

"You asked her out?" The speedster tried to hide his growing smile.

"Actually, I asked her to be my girlfriend," the Boy Wonder stated proudly.

Wally's eyes widened. "And she said yes?"

"Yup."

Wally paused for a moment. "How old is she exactly?"

"Fourteen."

A broad grin began to take over Wally's face, and he slapped his friend on the back.

"Older woman! Way to go, buddy!"

Robin laughed his signature cackle.

"You do know what this means, right?" Wally gave him a questioning glance, causing Robin's smirk to grow. "It means that I can hold this over your head for all eternity."

Wally groaned. He knew his friend would make good on his promise.

"Unless..." Robin smiled devilishly, placing his hands behind his back. He looked like a six-year-old girl with a secret.

"Unless...?" Wally asked nervously. This wouldn't be good.

"Unless you can admit to me that you have a crush on Artemis," he declared. "And mean it."

Wally blinked. "You can't be serious."

"As serious as Batman."

Oh man he totally meant it.

"Say it or I'll never let you live it down."

"But I-"

"SAY IT!"

Wally jumped back a few inches at his friend's threatening tone. What would it be? Eternal taunting that his thirteen-year-old best friend got a girlfriend before he did, plus the knowledge that he couldn't admit something as stupid as a crush? Or some light teasing and an "I told you so" from the Boy Wonder.

"Okay, fine," he groaned. "Ilikhrrr..."

"What was that?"

"Ilikeher..."

"Repeat?"

"FINE! I LIKE HER OKAY?" he cried.

Robin's smirk turned from devilish, to downright evil.

"You know you don't have to yell," he said mischievously. "I think she can hear you just fine from right there."

Wally's eyes were as wide as saucers as he turned around to see the door wide open, and Artemis standing there mirroring his expression.

"Have fun you two!" Robin called as he ran down the hall.

A demonic cackle echoed through the corridor.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Oh Robin you little troll you. XD I love him so much. I hope you guys like my mention of Babs. I absolutely love her, and love her with Robin, so I wanted to mention them in at least one of these stories. When I read the prompt for this one...it clicked!<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed! Please review! I've been loving your reviews!**


	4. Maybe

**I wrote this in five minutes. Not even kidding.**

**Disclaimer: Why do I even bother with this?**

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><p><strong>Day Four: Fate<strong>

**Maybe**

Wally West never believed in fate.

Or magic.

Or anything supernatural for that mater.

The guy couldn't get through a Harry Potter book without scrutinizing the lack of scientific evidence.

He never even believed in Santa Claus for crying out loud! How could a guy live for hundreds of years delivering presents to every child in the world in twelve hours? And don't even get him started on the flying reindeer.

So needless to say, he held the idea of a predetermined order of events on the same level as a fairy collecting rotten teeth.

Things happened the way they happened. There was no order to the way things happened.

At least that's what he used to believe.

Back when things made sense.

Before Doctor Fate had taken over his body.

Now he didn't even know what to believe. Here he was, Wally West, Kid Flash, falling head over heels in love for a girl that he used to hate.

A girl who his best friend had tricked into admitting his feelings for.

His spitfire.

He blinked, pulling himself out of his fog. Lately he couldn't help but stare at her in wonder, completely baffled at how he had managed to snag this girl.

She looked up from her homework, catching him staring at her. When he didn't look away, she smiled, and he found himself smiling, too.

"Find your own little spitfire. One who won't let you get away with nothin'."

If that wasn't Artemis, he didn't know what was. Maybe there was something to this fate thing after all. **  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Wow that was short. I've always had a thing for musing stories, and this is my first time writing one. I really enjoyed it. While writing this I was listening to the song "At the Beginning" from Anastasia, and it really helped. :) Hope you liked!<strong>


	5. Snow

**Hi guys! Look, I'm alive! :D**

**Disclaimer: ...not gonna say it.**

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><p><strong>Day Five: Cold<strong>

**Snow**

Artemis hated the cold. She hated the frigidness in her joints. The sting of the freezing wind against her cheeks. But most of all, she hated the memories. Memories of her father. Memories of when he would decide to test her endurance. To drain her of weakness. Make her a Shadow.

Snow days, for most seven-year-olds, were joyous occasions. For Artemis, they were anything but. Every winter she was glued to the weather forecast, praying that this year would be warmer. That the snow wouldn't stick. Sometimes she got her wish. Sometimes Mother Nature was kind.

But other times she wasn't. Other times the snow would fall, bringing all the beauty and splendor for the children with normal families, and tears to Artemis.

Her father would look outside and smile at her, and point her towards the closet. She would reach for the handle, open the door, and then grab the bag stashed there for this occasion. She would look up at him, her blue eyes pleading with him to spare her this time. He would simply smile, and lead her to the car, telling her mother they were going camping.

This wasn't a complete lie. There would be camping, only he wouldn't be there. He would drop her off in the middle of the woods with her small bag of supplies, smile cruelly, and drive away, congratulating himself on his genius in character building.

She pitched her tent, praying once more that it wouldn't snow that night. That she would be able to keep a fire going. That no animals would come after this easy target. That she would live through this.

It was always cold. She would huddle next to the fire, trying desperately to keep warm. She kept her bow next to her at all times, just in case. The temperature would drop, having no mercy on the little girl left in the woods until morning.

Artemis hated the cold.

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><p>Artemis sat down on the couch at Mount Justice, sighing with relief. It was snowing in Gotham again, and the terror was always too much for the archer to handle. Even though she hadn't been abandoned in the woods since she was thirteen, she still dreaded the snow. Dreaded the cold.<p>

"Afternoon, Beautiful."

She smiled wryly at the voice.

"Hey, Wally," she sighed as her boyfriend of six months came and sat next to her. She tried to regulate her breathing, the adrenaline in her blood lowering as her panic and desperation to get away from Gotham began to dissipate. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the boy sitting next to her.

He looked at her, concern written all over his face.

"You okay?" he asked warmly. She shrugged, smiling nervously.

"I-it's nothing," she murmured, her voice shaking.

"Try again, Arty." He turned toward her, brushing his hand against her cheek. She shook her head.

"Nothing serious," she said quietly. "It's snowing in Gotham, that's all."

His eyes widened, remembering the tear filled conversation they had had after a mission in Siberia. Wally put his arm around her, letting her head rest on his chest.

She knew Wally would keep her warm.

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><p><strong>Another angsty story. Yay angst! Wow I'm tired...Hope you enjoy!<strong>


	6. Protective

**I had a lot of fun writing this one. :D**

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><p><strong>Day Six: Pain<strong>

**Protective**

Wally clutched the arms of the leather chair he was sitting in, praying that he wouldn't sweat through his clothes. It was only dinner and a movie, but he didn't want to look bad.

He had been to Oliver Queen's mansion plenty of times before, but that was always when he and Robin were hanging out with Roy. He never expected to be there to pick up a date.

But here he was, in the gigantic Queen living room (Wayne Manor was bigger), waiting for Oliver's niece to come downstairs. Artemis normally lived in Gotham, but she was spending Spring Break with her Uncle Oliver to get some training sessions in.

This would be his first date with Artemis, and he was nervous. Not only was he nervous about going on a DATE with ARTEMIS, but he was also pretty terrified of the looks that Oliver was giving him. Something told him he wasn't getting out of this house without a threat and possibly a few arrows shot in his direction.

"So, Wally," Oliver stroked his beard. "You and Artemis are dating now."

Wally gulped. "Yes."

Green Arrow's eyes narrowed slightly. "You two didn't get along for a long time."

That was probably the understatement of the century, but Wally wasn't about to say that.

"How did this happen?" the Robin Hood-esque superhero asked him. His voice was casual, but his body language was threatening. His hands were clasped in front of him. like he couldn't wait to get his hands around the teen's neck.

"Well, uh..." Wally stammered. "I guess we-we liked each other for awhile. But abut a week ago Robin tricked me into admitting I liked her...in front of her."

Wally smiled slightly at the memory. Both had been pretty shocked and embarrassed at first, but after a couple minutes of staring at each other, the speedster had taken a chance and asked her out. She blinked and then accepted the invitation, a smile growing on her face.

"Mhmm." Oliver stood up, and walked towards the ginger superhero. He stood directly in front of Wally, and pulled an arrow out of his jacket. "You know what kind of damage one of these things can to to the human body?"

Wally shook his head, clutching the arms of the chair even harder than before. Oliver began pacing in front of the speedster, examining the arrow.  
>"They can tear through a person pretty darn quickly if they don't hit any bone," he said nonchalantly. "And they can go pretty fast. Of course, those are just my normal arrows." Oliver grinned slightly, watching the boy squirm. "I recently made an arrow that if aimed correctly, can tear through the shoulder and then dig into any wall behind the unfortunate victim. Won't kill 'em, but it's pretty painful and they won't be moving any time soon."<p>

Wally found himself rubbing his shoulder. Oliver kept going.

"I also have one that implants a tracker in the target, and another that injects sedatives. And of course you know about my exploding and freeze arrows."

The poor kid was literally shaking. Who knew Green Arrow of all people could be so scary? If he kept this up, he'd give Batman a run for his money.

"I care a lot about Artemis," he said, stroking the arrow. "I know she's only my niece, but she's like a daughter to me. I really don't want to see her hurt. Don't you agree?"

Oliver pointed the arrow at Wally, who nodded in understanding.

"Got it. I hurt her, you put me through unimaginable pain."

Ollie grinned. "Smart boy."

"Uncle Ollie, what are you telling him?" Artemis called from the top of the stairs.

Wally stood up to look at her, and his mouth dropped open.

Her hair was down about her shoulders, and pulled back in a black hairband. She wore black skinny jeans, black ballet flats, and a blue tank top that watched her eyes perfectly. Wally was speechless.

Dinah stood behind her, admiring her handiwork.

"Nothing, Artemis. I'm just telling him about some of the new arrows I've made," he said, closing Wally's mouth.

Artemis rolled her eyes, and turned toward the speedster.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Wally shook himself out of his daze.

"Uh, yeah," he said in awe. She nodded and they walked toward the door together, but just before they left...

"Wally!" Oliver called. When the kid turned around, he held up the arrow. "Remember what I said."

Wally's eyes widened, and he nodded fervently.

After the two practically ran out the door, Dinah rolled her eyes.

"What did you do to that poor boy?" she asked.

"Just the basic date talk, Pretty Bird," he crooned. "After all, no pain no gain."

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><p><strong>This is my dad...not even kidding. A lot of you guys wanted to know what happened after "Robin's Girl Advice", so I figured I'd tell you! This was SO fun to write. Hope you guys have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!<strong>


	7. Take Aim

**Here we are. The last one. I'm both relieved AND sad.**

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><p><strong>Day Seven: Trust<strong>

**Take Aim**

Arrow notched.

Grip firm.

Gaze steady.

Target locked.

The phases of shooting an arrow went through my mind in a matter of two seconds. It was always so natural to me. Find your target, and shoot. Under normal circumstances I would've fired and been on my merry way. But these circumstances were anything but normal.

Standing in the middle of a warehouse trying to choose between shooting your boyfriend and a convicted killer should be easy, right? Right. Now let's just say that said convicted killer happens to be your father. Yeah. I thought so.

"Shoot him, Tigress. While he's still weak."

Tigress. The name he chose for me years ago so that I could follow in his footsteps. For most of my life, I was trained as an assassin. I learned from the best. Dad, Cheshire, and even David Cain.

I know what you're thinking; Why should I hesitate? This guy could not have been a good father. You would be right. He was a horrible father. When I was a kid he'd leave me in the middle of the woods whenever it snowed to "test my weakness". When I refused to kill a man, he put my mother in a wheelchair.

So why should I hesitate?

Well, the answer is a little complicated, and it'll probably make me sound like a total idiot. But give me a break here, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time. But there was something Sportsmaster, my dad, had said to me earlier that was making me rethink...everything.

"Do you really think they trust you?" he had asked me.

I know. Stupid, right? It was completely ridiculous that I was letting him sink his claws into my mind again, just like he did when I was a kid. Why should I have trusted anything he said?

But I thought about it. I was over-thinking it really. Had my friends ever said the words, "I trust you"? I couldn't ever think of a time when they had.

Looking back on it, I realize that I had always been insecure about that. Did my teammates really trust me? Did Wally, my own boyfriend, really trust me? They all had said in one way or another that they cared about me. But not one of them ever said they trusted me. Not them, not the league, not anyone.

At that moment, all my insecurities were taking over my thoughts. Made me question every decision I had made over the past year.

Joining Young Justice.

Spying for the JLA.

Growing close to my teammates.

If they didn't trust me, did they really care about me? I shook my head. Of course they cared. Wally was lying there half-dead because he took a beating for me. Would he have done that is he didn't care?

But his healing was rapid. Did he figure he'd heal before I got a chance to shoot him and blow my nonexistent cover? Was it all a lie? Did he really care about me? All the times he comforted me, told me he loved me, made me laugh...was it all a lie?

If I could pick a time and place to go back to and slap myself silly, it would be then.

"Tigress. He is healing."

That voice. The voice that had threatened, insulted, and generally abused me since I was old enough to speak. That voice that ordered the attack on my mother...why was I listening to it?

"They do not trust you; therefore they do not care about you."

I shook my head…..that couldn't be true. Could it?

My thoughts were interrupted again, this time by another voice.

"Artemis…."

It was Wally's voice, strained and hoarse. I still stood there, my arrow notched, aimed in between my two target options.

"Artemis," he croaked again. "He's lying to you."  
>That did it.<p>

I was back in reality.

Sportsmaster was my abusive, sociopathic, money loving, sadistic, narcissistic supervillain father.

Wally was my annoying, loud, geeky, sweet, charming, understanding boyfriend.  
>I trusted Wally.<p>

I didn't trust Sportsmaster.

My arrow flew, and the next thing Sportsmaster knew he was stuck to the wall with an arrow sticking out of his left shoulder.

The arrow was one of Green Arrow's personal favorites. It dug into the concrete and was nearly impossible to get out without a special remote to turn it back to normal.

I pressed my homing beacon. The JLA would be here soon.

* * *

><p>"Well, that's a nice thing to wake up to," Wally said as he tried to sit up. When the JLA showed up, they had taken him straight to the Mount Justice medical bay.<p>

I smiled as I helped him up.

"Sportsmaster's in custody. Finally," I breathed. He reached and touched my face.

"All thanks to you."

My smiled wavered a bit, and he sighed.

"Artemis, I knew you weren't going to shoot me. Even if you weren't."

Our eyes met, and my expression mirrored my question.

"How?"

He grinned. "Because I trust you."

We were still kissing when The Flash dropped in.

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>Sadface...I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!<strong>


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